<p>Help-
I am trying to think of 2 really good examples of where adding or paying attention to a small detail really paid off big and made something a huge success, and conversely, overlooking a small detail caused a product or business to be a colossal failure. It would be ideal if the example was more of one in which someone took a risk, not just made a marketing decision.
We have an idea for the addition of the little detail, but it is missing the element of risk, which we would like. Any ideas?? Help!</p>
<p>Well, there was the small detail of the o-ring on the Challenger.</p>
<p>Changing the time tested Coca-Cola formula. Having O.J. try on “the glove”.</p>
<p>Two of the biggest mistakes ever made.</p>
<p>Wasn’t there a mission to Mars where, upon landing or reading orbit, a Mars explorer did not perform because someone set up programing using metric measurements and someone else used the imperial feet/inches and no one realized this until there was total failure?</p>
<p>violadad-
New Coke was actually our example of the failure, but we are trying to find something where someone overlooked a detail. The O-ring-- oooh depressing. And the mission to mars- I’ll look into that-- but it might take a lot of explaining. Hoping to find something that can be said in a few words and everyone will get it. Thanks, everyone. Any more??? I am sure when we hit upon it we’ll all go “why didnt I think of that!!!”</p>
<p>Monica never got her dress cleaned!! :D</p>
<p>I gather this is a school assignment? If so forget my input.</p>
<p>PS…just in case…I meant Lewinsky, not Monica on Friends!!</p>
<p>^^^ I got it sooze! HAHAHAHA!! Great example, but probably too edgy, as yes, it is an assignment.</p>
<p>I think New Coke was one of the most brilliant marketing campaigns of all time. Love it or hate it everyone was talking about Coke. They were genius.</p>
<p>For failures, I give you 500 businesses that thought buying commodities on the Internet would be competitive to other channels. My favorite example is groceries: low margins, heavy weights, inferior shopping experience. What a dumb idea (and I always thought it was dumb). </p>
<p>EDITED: Although I just checked and Albertson’s will still allow you to buy groceries online for home delivery. Bizarre.</p>
<p>My D had a similar assignment last year…When she gets home I’ll ask her about it. Is this for English class?</p>
<p>Its actually part of an essay-- I am sure when we hit uponthe perfect example we’ll all go-- “perfect!!”. thats why it has to be short and sweet</p>
<p>The mission to Mars lander crashed because someone in Padadena did not translate the calculations done on the metric system [ by scientists in England I believe] into non-metric units when figuring the rate of descent. The lander came down too rapidly and crashed on Mars.</p>
<p>Thanks, curiousmother</p>
<p>and thanks too, menloparkmom-- nice succinct summary of the earlier post (#4)</p>
<p>I believe the Hubble telescope was rendered briefly inoperable because a couple of 37 cent washers weren’t reinforced. They had to send a whole space shuttle to repair it (millions wasted).</p>
<p>good one. I guess its hard to find “risk” in overlooking a detail. Tends to fall into the category of “stupidity”</p>
<p>The typo in my HS yearbook is classic, but its not really a risk-- just a funny oversight (that they did fix before it went to print). I’ve told the story before, but to summarize, I put “flattening pennies on traintyracks” as my hobbie, and the printer , inthe galley proofs, left ou one of the "n"s and the final “e” in pennies! :eek:</p>
<p>LOL!!! Excuse me while I go clean up all the soda that just exploded out of my nose.</p>
<p>Its a true story zimmer (except that it said “train tracks” and it was my hobby, not hobbie – my bad typing is evident in the post above). I got a call from the yearbook editor in the early morning hours, telling me I had the best mistake in the whole yearbook. When he told me the story, I said "you fixed it didn’t you-- you changed it from “flattening” to “squashed”, right??</p>
<p>That has got to be the best yearbook typo ever. When it came out, did you just want to die laughing or slink around with embarrassment? You know how our culture has changed in 20-30 some odd years. These days, I think kids would be thrilled to have such a unique hobby listed, hahaha!</p>
<p>Y2K- how did people NOT think about the next century when it came to computers</p>
<p>DUH</p>
<p>and wasn’t there something in the space program about meters and feet?</p>
<p>someone must remember that</p>